Islanders willing to trade 5th overall pick in 2014 draft

Ian McLaren
May 23, 2014 9:11pm

Andrew Kelly / REUTERS

After deciding to transfer the team's first-round pick in 2015 to the Buffalo Sabres to complete the Thomas Vanek trade, New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow said the organization would not be adverse to trading the fifth overall pick at next month's draft.

"We’re open to any deal that might make the team better," Snow said, as per the New York Post. "If that’s trading the pick for a player, standing pat and picking a quality player at No. 5, or trading it to move up or down, we’re open.”

A major factor in the decision to defer the pick to be sent to Buffalo was an expected improvement as early as next season; if the Islanders can flip the 2014 pick for assets that can help them immediately, it could certainly help to ease the sting of giving up a first-round pick in the failed Vanek experiment.